coconut breakfast quinoa

I’ve been on a total quinoa kick lately. It started with that quinoa fried rice, and I’ve been hooked on this super-food grain ever since.

Overnight oats are one of my staples during the school week, they can be prepared at night and devoured in the morning. They keep me full of energy all morning so that I can search for my gym clothes and take my math quizzes without having to stop at the vending machine.

Quinoa is a wonderfully nutty, crunchy alternative to classic oats, plus it’s loaded with protein. That means that I can substitute my usual Greek yogurt for something even creamier and delicious: coconut milk. The rich, creamy, coconutty milk seeps into the fluffy quinoa overnight, along with some chia seeds. Now that’s something to wake up for! Since winter break started, I’ve been waking up at 10:30 and staying up until 2:00. I just realized that school starts on Wednesday… but I have faith that this quinoa will lure me out of bed despite the fact that I’m going out yet again for New Years Eve tonight.

Think of this “recipe” as more of an outline — and top this quinoa off with any fruit, nut, or milk you like.

Combine quinoa, water, cinnamon and vanilla in a small
saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and let cook
for 15 minutes until quinoa can be fluffed with a fork. Combine the cooked quinoa along with the coconut milk and chia seeds in a container with a lid and let chill in the fridge overnight.

The next morning:

Divide quinoa into two bowls then top with bananas and kiwi slices. Sprinkle with coconut and pumpkin seeds.

Hmmm. I think that almond milk would be a little thin for this dish — so you would get a very different texture (not as creamy and coconutty). You could definitely give it a try! I make overnight oats with almond milk all the time — perhaps stir in some yogurt as well for added thickness?